2000
#13,429
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,079
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Longfellow
An English surname referring to a tall person or an ancestor with the nickname "long fellow."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,324 Americans carry the last name Longfellow. That puts it at #14,217 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 147,485 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Longfellow surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Longfellow with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 147,485
Census rank
#14,217
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,027 bearers of the surname Longfellow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14217th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Longfellow, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Longfellow
The surname Longfellow originated in England during the medieval period. It is a locational surname, derived from the Old English words "lang" meaning long and "felough" meaning fellow or companion. The name likely referred to a tall or lanky individual, perhaps a member of a medieval guild or fellowship.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Longfellow surname appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1208, where a person named William Longfellow is mentioned. The surname is also found in various other medieval records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists a Richard Longfelowe in Oxfordshire.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the Longfellow surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Yorkshire, Northumberland, and Oxfordshire. Variations in spelling included Longfellowe, Longfelow, and Longfelloe, reflecting the inconsistencies in written records of that era.
A notable early bearer of the Longfellow name was John Longfellow (c. 1350-1420), a wealthy merchant and landowner from York. He is mentioned in several historical documents, including the York Civic Records of the late 14th century.
Another prominent figure was Sir William Longfellow (1474-1548), a member of the English gentry and a High Sheriff of Northumberland during the reign of Henry VIII. He was involved in several military campaigns against Scotland and is mentioned in the State Papers of the time.
In the 17th century, the Longfellow family had established a presence in the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Nathaniel Longfellow (1610-1675), who settled in Newbury, Massachusetts in the 1630s and became a prominent figure in the local community.
Perhaps the most famous bearer of the Longfellow surname was the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882). Born in Portland, Maine, he is considered one of the greatest poets of the 19th century and is renowned for works such as "The Song of Hiawatha" and "Evangeline."
Other notable individuals with the Longfellow surname include William Pitt Preble Longfellow (1836-1909), an American naval officer and historian; and Ernest Wadsworth Longfellow (1845-1925), a lawyer and philanthropist who served as a trustee of Harvard University.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Longfellow
Among Census respondents with the surname Longfellow, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Longfellow bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Longfellow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 1,851
- Two or more races3.7% · 74
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 19
- Black or African American0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Longfellow
Longfellow appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#14,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,089
+10 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 899 places
2020
#14,217
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,027
-62 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Up 111 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,429 | 2,079 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,328 | 2,089 | 0.71 | +10 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 899 places |
| 2020 | #14,217 | 2,027 | 0.68 | -62 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 111 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Longfellow surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #14,328 | #14,217 | 0.8% |
| Count | 2,089 | 2,027 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.68 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Longfellow bearers went from 2,089 to 2,027 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 111 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,328 to #14,217.
FAQ
Longfellow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Longfellow?
Name Census estimates that about 2,324 living Americans carry the surname Longfellow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 147,485 residents.
How common is Longfellow?
Longfellow ranks #14,217 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,027 people with the surname Longfellow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,324), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Longfellow.
Has Longfellow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Longfellow went from 2,089 recorded bearers to 2,027. That is a decrease of 62 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,328 to #14,217.
What does the Census say about the background of Longfellow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Longfellow, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Longfellow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (1,851 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Longfellow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (3.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Longfellow (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Longfellow mean?
An English surname referring to a tall person or an ancestor with the nickname "long fellow." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Longfellow (0.68 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Longfellow?
You can see how common the surname Longfellow is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.